Test Citroën ë-Berlingo: plenty of space (even if there are seven of you) | Car

Citroën ë-Berlingo (136 hp/100 kW), from €38,715

The Berlingo is now called ë–Berlingo because of its electric drive; hence the ë. In the meantime, this Citroën has fortunately lost little of its original character. You sit nice and high, on good seats, and it is available as a seven-seater.

The high roof leads to immense headroom. Tall people benefit from this, but you can also stack things high. In any case, the interior space is impressive: the legs also get plenty of room. With two rows of seats, the luggage space is enormous, with the third row of seats in use, there is little left. The third row of seats is removable: handy! But it remains a pity that it cannot disappear into the floor with a simple grip.

You can easily reach the second row of seats thanks to two sliding doors. And they also help you load your luggage. The same goes for the large tailgate which, while heavy to handle, leads to a huge loading opening. Only its size can cause problems when opening in tight parking spaces.

These cars used to be quite noisy, but now that the combustion engine has been replaced by an electric motor and the 50 kWh battery pack, it is striking how quiet the Berlingo has become. The spring comfort is fine, but while driving you do get a bit of the feeling of being on the road with a van or van. Sporty drivers have no business here and that is not a bad thing: for the purpose the handling is good enough.

The electric drive brings this Citroën smoothly forward in the city, but on the highway it is disappointing. Its top speed is 130 km/h and above 100 km/h the ë-Berlingo becomes downright slow. The range of 280 kilometers (during this test 256 kilometers) is also nothing to write home about.

Plus
+ What a seating area!
+ Handy sliding doors.
+ Seven-seater (option).
+ Comfortable.

min
– Limited electric range.
– Powertrain is not really strong.
– Poor radio reception.

Conclusion
It is a pity that the limited range prevents this Berlingo from being a real travel car. Because in many ways it is: quiet, comfortable, very practical to use and extremely spacious.

The radio reception is also bad in this Citroën. Our tests with cars of this brand show this regularly: parts of the broadcast are sometimes repeated, as if the record is stuck.

The app that comes with it is completely up-to-date, which can help you load. And the same goes for the 8-inch large screen for infotainment.

Access to the third row of seats is not easy. For that you have to squeeze yourself past the second row of seats. And it’s really not very spacious in the third row of seats. On the other hand, it remains special that you can sit in such a compact car with seven.

There was a time when the Kangoo, Berlingo and Partner reigned supreme. Passenger cars based on vans: precisely that brought all kinds of practical properties with it. But with the popularity of the SUV and the demise of the MPV, the popularity of these types of cars has also declined.

The Berlingo-like ones are by definition poorly streamlined and that leads to a relatively high fuel consumption. But this is no longer the case with the latest generation of the Berlingo. It now has a fully electric drive. Yet it is the same air resistance that is now also a bit in the way of the electric driving range.

Just about all driving aids and safety systems from Citroën passenger cars are also available in this Berlingo.

Charging is possible with a maximum of 100 kW and then you will have the batteries filled to 80 percent in half an hour at the correct charging point. With an 11 kW wallbox you need 5 hours and with a 7.4 kW wallbox it takes 7.5 hours.

Handy is the so-called top box at the top right of the dashboard: an extra storage compartment with a flap that you can cool if necessary.

You do not always have to open the entire tailgate, because the rear window can also be opened separately (optionally).

The Citroën Berlingo is available in two lengths, M and XL. Both the M and the XL are available with 5 or 7 seats. Thanks to the longer wheelbase and larger rear overhang, the XL is 35 centimeters longer than the M.

The Citroën ë-Berlingo is for sale from €38,715.

In our extensive file Autotest you will find all previously published tests.